How to Market a Deli: A Slice a Day

In the hustle and hubbub of running an eatery, you’d think no one would have time to sit down at a computer and put together an email marketing campaign.

That’s almost true. But Bill Pavlou, owner of Super Duper Deli in Edison, New Jersey, has found a way to market in just (a very few) minutes a day.

He gets his marketing message out and brings the business in using three main steps.

1. Collect Subscribers Twice As Fast

Without extra time to spend collecting subscribers, the deli just lets it happen through the natural course of the day.

“Due to the nature of our business, we still collect email addresses the old-fashioned way – in store,” says Bill. “By signing up for our email list by leaving a business card, customers can win a free lunch.”

For people searching for local delis online, Bill has opportunities set up for them to subscribe. “We have a web form on our website and also have taken advantage of AWeber’s Facebook web form which allows us to capture subscribers there as well,” he says.

2. Copy and Paste Your (Own) Content

Super Duper Deli sends out an email every morning with their daily specials so subscribers keep them in mind when considering their options for lunch.

This is exactly the kind of email hungry locals want to see mid-morning. “We have a message that we want to communicate, and there’s an audience that wants to receive this information,” Bill explains.

Plus, the deli’s creating a comfortable routine for subscribers by sending them consistent content every day. Readers can come to expect and welcome the daily emails as the clock ticks closer to lunchtime.

3. Develop a 1-Minute a Day Routine

Bill sends the deli’s emails at around 10 a.m. every weekday. He finds the most valuable AWeber feature to be broadcast scheduling – he can put the day’s email together whenever he has a few seconds, and count on the system to send it at just the right time.

“Obviously in small business things can get hectic and certain things need to get taken care of when they can get taken care of,” Bill says. “With AWeber I can walk through those doors at 4:00 a.m., brew the coffee and cook some bacon, then login to AWeber to schedule my daily email broadcast to be sent.

“Or I can do it in the evening after I close down shop for the day. It’s intuitive and it’s flexible – two things that are an absolute must when you are balancing many responsibilities.”

Then, Enjoy the Benefits of Modern Marketing

Traditionally, delis have faxed their daily specials to local businesses to bring in the lunch crowd. The deli still does this, but replicates the specials with email.

“We realize that not all of our customers are working an office job where a receptionist might receive our fax and post it on a bulletin board,” Bill says. “With the popularity of smartphones, we can let an attorney walking out of a court room what his lunch options are just as easily as we can let a contractor installing cable know the daily soups are.”

How Do You Market In the Weeds?

The reason AWeber exists is to help busy business owners automate their marketing, so when their day’s crammed full of one task after another, they don’t have to worry about their marketing – the message is still going out.

As Bill puts it, “[Email marketing]’s an absolute necessity to effectively communicate what you do with the people who want to know what you do. In 2012 we have plans to expand our email marketing outreach, but it’s already important enough that it’s a top priority everyday.”

Do you have any tips or techniques to help Bill and others like him market in minutes a day?

Tags

Share This Article

Email Tips DeliveredGet this blog sent to your inbox

One Comment

Businesses have to withstand the competition in the market to taste success. If the companies can attract more customers, then the volume of their trade will be increased accordingly. Hence, to increase the number of customers it is important for the businesses to be listed in local business directories. You can advertise your company in these directories free of cost. Today, every house has an internet connection. Hence, customers can search in local listings to know more about the local products and services provided by the local companies. The local SEO marketing technique will provide an identity to the business listed in the local directories which in turn provide success to your company.